2023-08-27 07:10:33
A pertinent clarification: this is not an space or a PNT or anything similar. It is a note regarding the winner that Racing-Boca already has that will be defined this Wednesday in Avellaneda for the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores. Because whatever the result, the winner will be Betsson, the multinational of Swedish origin dedicated to sports betting and online casino that in 2023 became a sponsor of both clubs.
The growth of online sports betting in Argentina is directly proportional to its decline in Spain, following the government of that country –alerted by the complaints and claims of associations that combat gambling addiction– canceled in 2021 the space that traveled the world through the transmission of matches. It prohibited the of online betting houses in football teams and stadiums and also limited on television, radio, YouTube and other platforms, which meant that Codere, Bet365, Bwin, PokerStar, Betsson and many others can only appear on the time slot from 1 to 5 in the morning. “The money destined for Spain began to be redistributed in other Latin American countries. This, added to the fact that the Argentine market has opened its borders, makes this multiplication of platforms possible”, a manager told PERFIL last year, to try to explain the phenomenon.
Almost suddenly, half of the teams in the Spanish League lost their main sponsor. But far from disappearing, online bookmakers have migrated. They crossed the ocean and began to develop their business on this side of the world: South America. Or, rather, South American football.
This is how more than two years ago, in Argentina, bets began to proliferate in the form of shirt sponsors, spots or even entire television programs that are sustained from their financing: an XXL PNT that can generate more than an ethical question from the communicational point of view.
Betsson was not among the first gaming multinationals to start operating in the country. However, her aggressive business strategy quickly positioned her. The Swedish company landed this May on Racing’s back and in June on Boca’s chest. The sponsorship contract with the Avellaneda club was signed for two years – with the possibility of extending it for one more – in exchange for $600,000 per year. The agreement with Boca is until December 2024 in exchange for 7.5 million dollars.
Boca spent more than a year without a sponsor on the shirt, a gap that, in this election year, the opposition squeezed as an example of lack of management. For months, President Jorge Amor Ameal rejected Codere’s offer –River’s sponsor–, because he considered that he might not give that space to an online gambling and betting house. It was a public health argument that he finally dismissed for another of an economic nature.
However, Betsson’s arrival in Boca has other implications, not only because of the visibility of being the main sponsor of the club with the most members in the country. In order to land in Argentina and obtain licenses in the City and the province of Buenos Aires, the two districts most coveted by online betting houses, Betsson had to associate, as indicated by law, with Casino de Victoria, whose owner is the powerful businessman from Entre Ríos Daniel Mautone.
Mautone is a partner of former xeneize president Daniel Angelici, another gambling czar who sought to break into the betting business in various ways. By law, no manager of a football club can be a participant in a company in the online betting business.
In addition to sharing their widespread and lofty influences in the political arena, Mautone and Angelici share ownership of three bingos: Ramallo, Pergamino, and Maipú. Both were authorities of the Argentine Chamber of Bingo Halls and Annexes. If there is something they boast regarding, it is that they have confidence for this type of business.
Betsson is the foreign piece of that network of the national gaming business, increasingly present in football. When the two teams advanced to the phase, Betsson defined Racing-Boca as “the match of the year” and announced “an improved super quota” for new users registered on the platform who are fans of either of the two. “We cannot offer televisions, beer packs or a bank benefit. We can offer that ”, they explain in the company, which keeps the numbers and amount of bets under custody.
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